Field guide
Something looks wrong in the field? Match it here — acid soil, salt, iron lock, waterlog. Lab-sheet words live under Reading the soil test.
Can’t read the lab sheet? Open Reading the soil testProblem
13 guides
One guide can sit in more than one group, so the chip counts add up to more than 100.
WaterloggingCold water on seedlings: a stalled paddy is not always hungryShallow, warmer water, then add fertiliser.
WaterloggingCold waterlogged fields, gleying: soil is cold, roots don’t growSoil stays cold and grey-blue, roots few. Raise the bed, drain, wait for warmth.
OtherSouthern paddy nutrients: the reduced layer locks what you appliedMid-season drain, place fertiliser where a root with air can reach it.
WaterloggingA high water table: the soil never dries, the root never goes deepRaise the bed, cut a drain that actually empties.
WaterloggingDrought flipping to flood: the root is hurt before the leaf yellowsWait for new white roots before a full dressing.
WaterloggingPaddy reduction: black, smelly roots, no new white tipsRoots black, a rotten smell, no new white tips. Mid-season drain, then shallow water.
Nutrient shortageRice seedlings stall: acid, cold, toxins, burn — separate themWash the root, smell the mud, read pH. Rusty water, black roots, burned tips and cold mud are different jobs.
WaterloggingRiver-wetland soils: gleying is meaner than the surface looksDrain, ridge, don’t assume a dark colour is fertility.
Nutrient shortageYellow maize seedlings: nitrogen, zinc, herbicide, waterlog — pick oneDon’t open the nitrogen bag until you know which yellow you have.
WaterloggingWaterlogging: wilt by day, wet soil, black rootsDrain first. Urea cannot enter a drowned root.
Acid soilRusty-water paddies: ferrous iron poisoningSeedlings yellow and stiff, roots coated rust, an oil film on the water. Drain and air, don’t chase N.
WaterloggingAfter rain the surface caps and cracks: water runs off, seedlings stickA light hoe when it can crumble, mulch, organic matter. Don’t pulverise wet.
Nutrient shortageYellow leaves: shortage, waterlog, spray injury or diseaseOld leaf vs new leaf, veins vs blade, a spray pattern vs a slow fade. Separate them before you open a bag.